This post is sponsored by prAna. "If you truly love nature, you'll find beauty everywhere." - Vincent VanGogh ...you can even find beauty following a hurricane. It's been over a week since Hurricane Irma left her mark on my beautiful State and my spirit, but in the devastation I found beauty all around me. As we watch the oceans for the devastation that Marie may bring to the islands, I'm looking very hard to find the rainbow that will happen following that storm. It's not easy... My spirit is still shattered from the stress that Irma brought to us. The hardest decision that we faced was if we should stay or if we should leave. That decision changed daily as Irma inched her way closer to our home. Many of our friends and neighbors stayed and weathered the eye of the storm; I'm sure we would have been fine had we stayed. We came back to very little damage (thankfully)....but what if the storm would have been a little bit closer? There are so many "what if's" and it's hard ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – September 2017
Hello there rock friends! I bet you're looking for the next painted rock challenge, aren't you? You are in the right place. This is the home of the monthly Painted Rock Challenge. I began this adventure earlier this year as a way to challenge my creative limits. I had no idea it was going to be shared all around the world, so thank you so much for being part of this journey. I personally didn't get to paint much in August, because life happens and hobbies get pushed aside. We're finally getting back into our Back to School routines, so I'm hopeful I'll have more time this coming month. Please feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or anywhere you happen to be. If you're posting your rock paintings online, I'd love to follow along and see what you create. Just use the #PaintedRockChallenge hashtag. September has a few special dates and holidays that sparked some of the ideas in the challenge. Sept 2: International Bacon Day, Sept 9: Teddy Bear Day (AKA ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – August 2017
It's time!!! Tomorrow is the first day of August and the first day of the next Painted Rock Challenge. I am still struggling personally to complete ALL 30-31 rocks each month. I thought July was going to be my first month to complete them all; but with the kids and work and travel it just didn't happen. I'd love to say that August is my month, but with school starting back next week I know the likelihood of that actually happening is pretty slim! ...but I will try! The only thing that keeps me going is seeing all your beautiful and creative painted rocks each day. Your requests for me to keep this going. I'm so thankful for each of you! Some fun dates this month include Ice Cream Sandwich Day (Aug 1st), National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Aug 4th), Left Handed Day (Aug 13th), and National Honey Bee Day (Aug 19th). School is also starting back this month in many states (my kids start back next week) and football is starting up again! Have you joined our private Facebook ... [ Read More ]
Summer Travel Essentials
Sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. It is my favorite times of summer, I finally get to travel myself. The rest of my family have all taken trips this summer and it's finally my turn. We're a bit non-traditional over summer and don't always get to travel as a family. Earlier this summer my husband took our youngest on a special trip to LA. Both of the kids have traveled with my parents in their new RV; and my husband travels all the time for business. Our annual family getaway is coming up in a few more weeks as we head back to the river for some tubing with friends. ...but this is my week! It's a (mostly) pleasure trip with a little bit of work tossed in. Traveling can wear you out and flying can be horrible on your immune system. It's a great time to boost your vitamins and stock up on a few small travel items. I don't usually check bags when I fly, so having smaller travel sized body care items is essential. My friends at Sprouts Farmers Market are having a Vitamin ... [ Read More ]
Sweet Summer Chicken Salad
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and Taylor Farms as part of the Stonyfield Yogetters Bloggers Network. Summer is in full swing in our house and I'm TRYING to eat more healthy. At the end of May I started a 21 Day Fix "diet" through a friend of mine to help me kickstart some weight loss. I hate the word "diet" because that makes you feel "fat" and I still don't feel fat even though I'm not my ideal weight. I've gotten into some bad eating habits and I really just needed to refocus my priorities and start making better choices. Our family is plagued with heart disease and I am not getting any younger. Plus my kids need to start seeing me make better choices so that they won't have to struggle so much as they get older. ....anyways.... For almost an entire month I've given up dairy, coffee (WOW), breads, pastas, rice, and processed foods. I've been focusing on whole fresh foods; which means a lot of salads. I've slowly started to add back some dairy in the form ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – July 2017
It's time for a new Painted Rock Challenge and I'm even more excited to start this one! In anticipation for July's arrival I already began painting a few of these. That sloth is such a fun animal to paint and the mermaid looks like my daughter! I fell a little behind during June; but my goal is to complete all 31 days for July! Lamb Scarecrow Origami Fireworks Lantern Chicken (For Fried Chicken Day - thanks for the recommendation Angela B!) Otter Blueberry Bird Teddy Bear Snail Eyes Anchor Octopus Music Ice Cream Chameleon Dandelion Watermelon Lollipop Whale Hammock Hot Dog Pineapple Sloth Mermaid Computer (for my daughter, she submitted this one) Door Tiger Friends Rain Many of you have already joined the Painted Rock Challenge Group on Facebook and I'm loving your creations. Thank you to everyone who has shared their rocks with us. To join: Facebook Painted Rock Challenge Group What ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rock Challenge – June 2017
Thank you! I am blown away by all the sweet comments and requests for me to keep posting new painted rock challenges each month. Your emails and comments are super sweet. I'd love to see how far this challenge is spreading so please feel free to comment on this post and let me know. If you don't have a group near you and want to join our painted rock challenge group we'd love to have you! Painted Rock Challenge Group on Facebook. You may have seen very little updates from me in May because we were having our kitchen renovated and I had to pack all my paints away. Now that my kitchen is finally finished I can take part of the June challenge along with all of you. ...because it's too beautiful not to share, here is our new kitchen. If you want to see what it looked like the night before demo began or see the behind the scenes pictures during the renovation be sure to follow me on Instagram @BackToCalley. ...but back to rocks! See those cabinets on the back side of the ... [ Read More ]
Celebrate the Whole You with Stonyfield & prAna
This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt and prAna as part of the Stonyfield Yogetters Bloggers Network. Mother's Day is tomorrow and our house is in chaos; but what's new! We just started demolition on our kitchen for a very overdue remodel. Our kitchen is the original kitchen from 1985 and the cheap laminate cabinets have been painted over (poorly) several times. As of Friday afternoon the remnants of our old kitchen are now gone and we're left with dust and dreams. Day 2 demo progress! Now we break for the weekend. Cabinets installed on Monday! #kitchenrenovation A post shared by Calley Pate (@backtocalley) on May 12, 2017 at 3:14pm PDT Needless to say I'm learning to live in chaos. We saved out the essential items needed to live day to day and packed up our plates, glasses, and pantry. Most of our kitchen is now packed in boxes and bags in our garage; while the essentials are sitting on our dining room table in the living room. Even the refrigerator and ... [ Read More ]
Pear Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Pear Frozen Yogurt is a great summer treat and is super easy to make! This post is sponsored by R.W. Knudsen as part of their blog ambassador program. It's been in the 90's all week in Florida and we've been breaking all sorts of record highs for April and it doesn't look like May is going to be any cooler. Summer is here and I'm filling my freezer with some treats for my family to chill out with. I received a few bottles of RW Knudsen's Organic Pear juice in my quarterly box of goodies as part of their ambassador program and I knew I wanted to make a frozen treat. The recipe was pretty simple but I'm sure you could tweak it to your desired consistency. I honestly wish it had been a little creamier, but I have no clue what to change to make it creamier. The mixture before it was frozen was actually a really nice consistency that would have made for a nice summer fruit soup, or if it were a little thicker it would have made an amazing smoothie. I'm sure my kids would have ... [ Read More ]
Painted Rocks Challenge – May 2017
It's official, I'm addicted to painting rocks! Just over a month ago I started painting rocks and I haven't stopped! It's been years since I've had my painting supplies out and picked up a paintbrush almost every single day! My kids are even joining in the fun and painting a few with me. For me, painting is my creative outlet.....but even more than that, it's a stress release for me at the end of the day. Why rocks? They are small, inexpensive, and quick. It's also a new fad hitting towns across the US where people will paint rocks and hide them for others to find. It's a great way to spread a little love and brighten someone's day. I will admit that I paint more than I hide, but I am trying to let go of a few more and hide them around town. It's really fun to see who finds them. Many people will join a local painted rock group and post their finds, then some of those people will hide them again to re-share the love! Want to know how to get started and why supplies you'll need? ... [ Read More ]
